Take a heritage building in Mitte, the center of Berlin. Let a few British architects loose on it. Add white and muted Chinese green colours, polished concrete or bleached wooden floors. Set the bar low on prices for its 72 apartments.

What do you get? You get Lux 11, a tre popular, high style, long-stay apartment building in Berlin. With maid service every three days and refrigerators stocked to order, it offers a host of amenities you wouldn’t expect like flat-screen TVs, fax machines Wi-Fi, DVD players and big hair dryers. The lobby features everything from a hip Aveda Spa to the Shiro I Shiro cool Asian-Italian restaurant serving fusion food with a sushi bar.